Programme of Work for November 2022
Ghana is the president of the Security Council in November. Council members adopted the provisional programme of work for the month earlier today (1 November).
Ghana has chosen to convene two signature events during its presidency. There will be a ministerial-level open debate on “Integrating effective resilience-building in peace operations for sustainable peace”, under the “Peacebuilding and Sustaining Peace” agenda item. Ghana’s Minister for Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey is expected to chair the meeting. The anticipated briefers are Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix, AU Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security Bankole Adeoye, Chair of The Elders Mary Robinson, and Security Council Report Executive Director Karin Landgren.
Ghana will also organise a debate on “Counter-terrorism in Africa: an imperative for peace, security, and development”, under the “Threats to International Peace and Security” agenda item. Ghana’s President Nana Akufo-Addo is expected to chair the meeting. UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina J. Mohammed is expected to deliver opening remarks. AU Commission Chairperson Moussa Faki Mahamat, President of the European Council Charles Michel, and President and CEO of International Crisis Group Dr. Comfort Ero are the anticipated briefers.
In November, the Council is scheduled to receive its annual briefing from the chairs of its counter-terrorism-related committees: Ambassador Trine Heimerback (Norway), chair of the 1267/1989/2253 Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL/Da’esh) and Al-Qaeda Sanctions Committee; Ambassador Ruchira Kamboj (India), chair of the 1373 Counter-Terrorism Committee (CTC); and Ambassador Juan Ramón de la Fuente Ramírez (Mexico), chair of the 1540 Committee. (Adopted in 2004, resolution 1540 aims to prevent non-state actors from obtaining access to weapons of mass destruction and encourages enhanced international cooperation in this regard.)
The Council is also expected to renew the mandate of the 1540 Committee and its Group of Experts this month.
The annual briefing with the heads of police components of UN peace operations will take place in November. The expected briefers are Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix; the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) police commissioner, Christine Fossen; the UN Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) police commissioner, Mody Berethe; and Deputy Director of the Faculty of Academic Affairs and Research at the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre (KAIPTC) Emma Birikorang.
This month, the Council is also expected to receive its annual briefing from UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi.
Council members will also hold an informal meeting with The Elders on 4 November. Chair of The Elders Mary Robinson, former President of Mexico Ernesto Zedillo, former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, and President of the International Peace Institute Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein are expected to participate in the meeting.
In addition to the debate on counter-terrorism in Africa, the Security Council plans to address several other African issues this month.
Council members are expected to vote on a draft resolution renewing the mandate of the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA) ahead of its 15 November expiry. Prior to that, the Council will hold a meeting with MINUSCA’s troop-contributing countries, in which Assistant Secretary-General for Africa in the Departments of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs and Peace Operations (DPPA-DPO) Martha Ama Akyaa Pobee will participate.
The Council also expects to renew the mandate of the UN Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA) and to extend the mission’s support for the Joint Border Verification and Monitoring Mechanism (JBVMM), both of which expire on 15 November. It will also hold a meeting with UNISFA’s troop-contributing countries, in which a Department of Peace Operations (DPO) official is expected to participate.
On Somalia, the Council is scheduled to vote on a draft resolution renewing the 751 Somalia sanctions regime, set to expire on 15 November, and the mandate of its Panel of Experts, which expires on 15 December.
In November, ICC Prosecutor Karim Asad Ahmad Khan will provide the court’s semi-annual briefing concerning cases in Libya.
The Council will convene for its biannual briefing, followed by consultations, on the Joint Force of the Group of Five for the Sahel (FC-G5S) that Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania, and Niger (G5 Sahel) established in 2017. Assistant Secretary-General for Africa in the Departments of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs and Peace Operations (DPPA-DPO) Martha Ama Akyaa Pobee is expected to brief. G5 Sahel Executive Secretary Eric Tiaré and a civil society representative may also brief.
There will also be a briefing on the Secretary-General’s report on Gulf of Guinea piracy pursuant to resolution 2634 of 31 May. Briefers include representatives of the Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs (DPPA), the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), and the Gulf of Guinea Commission (a cooperation framework among the countries bordering the Gulf of Guinea aimed at promoting peace and socio-economic development). A civil society representative is also expected to brief.
Several Middle Eastern issues are on the programme of work this month.
The Council will hold its monthly meetings on the political, humanitarian and chemical weapons tracks in Syria. High Representative for Disarmament Affairs Izumi Nakamitsu will brief on the chemical weapons file, while Special Envoy for Syria Geir O. Pedersen and Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Martin Griffiths are expected to brief on political and humanitarian issues, respectively.
Council members will also hold an informal interactive dialogue (IID) in accordance with resolution 2642 of 12 July, which reauthorised the Syria cross-border humanitarian aid mechanism and encouraged an IID every two months to regularly review and follow up on the implementation of the resolution, including progress in early-recovery projects.
The Council will convene for an open briefing and closed consultations on Yemen. Special Envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg is expected to brief. Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Martin Griffiths may also brief. Head of the UN Mission to Support the Hodeidah Agreement (UNMHA) Major General Michael Beary is expected to brief during the consultations.
The Council will hold its monthly meeting on “The situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian Question”. Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Tor Wennesland is expected to brief. A civil society representative may also brief.
Council members also expect to receive a briefing in consultations on the Secretary-General’s report on the implementation of resolution 1701. Adopted in 2006, resolution 1701 called for a cessation of hostilities between the Shi’a militant group Hezbollah and Israel. The anticipated briefers are Special Coordinator for Lebanon Joanna Wronecka and Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix.
Regarding European issues, the Council will hold its semi-annual debate on Bosnia and Herzegovina. Council members also expect to vote on a draft resolution reauthorising the EU-led multinational stabilisation force (EUFOR ALTHEA) prior to its 3 November expiry.
The Council may hold one or more meetings on the situation in Ukraine, depending on developments on the ground.
The one Asian issue on the agenda this month is the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK). The Chair of the 1718 DPRK Sanctions Committee, Ambassador Mona Juul (Norway), is expected to brief Council members in closed consultations on the 90-day report regarding the committee’s work.
The Security Council and the General Assembly will also vote to fill a vacancy on the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
The 15 current Council members and the incoming five (Ecuador, Japan, Malta, Mozambique, and Switzerland) will participate in the annual “Hitting the Ground Running” workshop organised by Finland on 17 and 18 November.
Council members will also be closely following developments related to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Ethiopia, Haiti, and Myanmar. They may choose to convene meetings on these and other issues.
